Adhesive tape



Aug. 4, 1964 H. slzEMcRE, JR

ADHESIVE TAPE Filed Sept. 16, 1960 lllY e Q lll-nlllllllll luqlnoqevln.

v IN VEN TOR. ///e/W .Suf/:Magda Arme/var United States Patent O3,143,203 ADHESIVE TAPE Hiram Sizemore, Jr., Shepherdstown, W. Va. FiledSept. 16, 1960, Ser. No. 56,518 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-56) This inventionrelates to an improvement in adhesive tape and the like, and itparticularly relates to adhesive tape which is adapted to be easilysevered into such lengths and widths as desired.

Heretofore, it has been the general practice to manufacture adhesivetape in pre-cut lengths and widths and to package this tape in rolls.Often, especially in a hospital or doctors otiice, these rolls of tapeare placed on `a wall rack so that the user may pull down the desiredlength of tape and then cut or tear it off.

There are various disadvantages inherent in the above type of taperolls. For one thing, on warm days, it is always somewhat diflicult totear the tape, especially in a straight line. It is, furthermore,difhcult to tear the tape when wearing rubber gloves such as are oftenworn by doctors and nurses.

In addition, it is quite dicult to obtain pieces of a uniform lengthwithout having to use a measuring device, and even when such a measuringdevice is used, there is still difculty because of the tendency of thetape to adhere to adjacent objects. Another disadvantage is theinability to readily obtain pieces of tape of varying Widths.

There have been various attempts to overcome the aforesaid disadvantagesby the use of special cutting devices, pre-cutting the tape anddetachably connecting the pieces, providing notches along an edge, etc.However, none of these prior attempts proved adequate because thepre-cut strips did not permit variation, and also required an undueamount of labor and material in its manufacture, Whereas the notches didnot readily provide a straight tear line and the cutting devices weretoo expensive and clumsy to install and use.

It is one object of the present invention to overcome the variousdisadvantages mentioned above by providing an adhesive tape arrangementwhich permits easy, accurate and uniform severance of portions thereofwithout the use of any measuring devices, special cutting devices or thelike.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive tapearrangement of the aforesaid type which can readily be severed even whenwearing rubber gloves or the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive tapearrangement of the aforesaid type, which is provided with Ventilatingmeans without substantially decreasing the strength of the tape.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive tapearrangement of the aforesaid type which can be used to easily makeuniform and neat surgical dressings without the need for trimming, andits resultant waste of tape.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide an improvedadhesive tape arrangement of the character described, that is easily andeconomically produced, which is sturdy in construction, and which ishighly eicient in operation.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists inthe details of construction and combination of parts, as will be morefully understood from the following description, when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a wall rack equipped with a rollof tape embodying the present invention.

3,143,208 Patented Aug. 4, 1964 "ice FIG. 2 is a side elevational viewof the assembly of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, detailed, fragmentary front elevational view of aportion of the tape of FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring in greater detail to the drawing, wherein similar referencecharacters refer to similar parts, there is shown a bracket 10comprising a back plate 12, secured to the wall 14 in any desiredmanner, and a pair of V- shaped arms 16 at opposite sides. Mountedbetween the arms 16, each of which is provided with a bearing portion18, is a shaft 20, this shaft 20 extending between the arms 16. Theshaft 20 rotatably supports a roll of adhesive tape 22 wound on a spoolor core 24.

The tape 22 is provided with a series of longitudinal rows ofperforations 26 and with a series of transverse rows of perforations 28.The rows of perforations 26 are arranged in uniformly spaced, parallelrelationship longitudinally of the tape 22, while the rows ofperforations 28 are also arranged in uniformly spaced, parallelrelationship transversely of the tape 22.

In use, when it is desired to obtain a certain size and configuration oftape, it is merely necessary to tear along those longitudinal andtransverse perforations 26 and 28 which conform to the desired size andconguration. This configuration may be square, rectangular, elongated orthe like and may vary in size, depending on the number of rows ofperforations embraced.

In this device, measured pieces can be torn from the sides and bottomand can be subdivided both horizontally and vertically. This makes forsignificant versatility in its use.

It is suggested that vertical divisions be at 1/2 inch intervals, andthat horizontal divisions be at 2 inch intervals. The following piecescould then be easily torn:

v (l) 2" X 2" eye patches (2) 1 X 4 strips of Band-Aid size (3) 1/2 X 6"strips for use in securing intravenous drips (4) 1/2 X 8" strips for usein securing catheters (5) 2 X l0" strips for ankle or Wrist strapping(6) 3 X 12 strips for abdominal or chest dressings (7) 12 X 24" piecesfor back strapping (8) Many other variations The perforations would alsoaid in straight line folding of the tape when two adhesive surfaces aredesired, or when more than one thickness of tape is desired.

Although larger sizes of severed tape will have perforations 26 and 28criss-crossing thereover, this does not decrease the utility of the tapebut acutally increases it because the perforations serve as veryeffective Ventilating means while yet maintaining the sturdiness of thetape itself.

The invention has been illustrated in the form of a roll of tape mountedin a wall bracket. It is, however, immaterial whether the roll ismounted on a wall bracket, any other type of holding means, or is evenheld loosely in the hands when being used. It is, furthermore, Withinthe scope of this invention to package the tape otherwise than in theform of rolls, as, for example, in strips, layers, or any other desiredmanner.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, suchdescription is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting,since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of theinvention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and described the nature of this invention, whatis claimed is:

A roll of sectionable adhesive tape for medical purposes comprising astrip of tape having an adhesive undersurface and provided with twopluralities of spaced parallel rows of tear and ventilationperforations, one plurality of parallel rows of perforations extendinglongitudinally of said strip, the other plurality of parallel rows ofperforations extending transversely of said strip, said intersectingrows of perforations dening similar elongated rectangles with aperforation at each corner of each rectangle, the longitudinal axes ofthe rectangles extending longitudinally of the strip, the perforationsin the transverse rows being more closely spaced than the perforationsin the longitudinal rows, all of said individual perforations beingspaced apart from each other a distance substantially greater than thediameter of said individual perforations thereby providing joining areasbetween said individual perforations of substantial strength, wherebywhen two or more rectangles are severed as a unit, the

untorn perforations act as a ventilation means without impairing thesturdiness of the joining areas.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 453,003Hicks May 26, 1891 1,759,599 Yates et al. May 20, 1930 2,096,564 SchollOct. 19, 1937 2,308,693 Goldman Jan. 19, 1943 2,399,545 Davis Apr. 30,1946 2,651,408 Engberg et al. Sept. 8, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 396,418Great Britain July 24, 1933

